Can stellar-mass black hole growth disrupt disks of active galactic nuclei? The role of mechanical feedback

Understand

Stellar-mass BHs (sBHs) are predicted to be embedded in active galactic nuclei (AGN) disks due to gravitational drag and in-situ star formation.

• However, we find that due to a high gas density in an AGN disk environment, compact objects may rapidly grow to intermediate-mass BHs and deplete matter from the AGN disk unless accretion is suppressed by some feedback process(es).
• These consequences are inconsistent with AGN observations and the dynamics of the Galactic center.
• Here we consider mechanical feedback mechanisms for the reduction of gas accretion.